What are the symptoms of Kidney problems or disease?

If I am asked a question to name three most important and critical organs of our body, then I will definitely have kidneys in that list. This is because; kidneys play a very important role in removing waste products from our body in the form of urine. But, despite having some knowledge about it, most of us are not responsible towards taking care of them and in turn end up suffering kidney related problems. Hence, it is always good to stay alert and take care, when we experience those first probable signals of discomfort.

You may now ask me what those signals are and when is the right moment to see a doctor? Usually and unfortunately too, serious problems related to kidneys are identified at a very late stage. But there is no cause for alarm. A regular, simple blood test to find out the level of serum creatinine in your blood can give you a fair idea about how your kidneys are functioning.

However, even though creatinine levels may be well within range, it is not a very good idea to ignore any of these conditions, if you face on a consistent basis. These could well turn out to be possible symptoms for kidney related problems;

·         You experience a rapid loss of weight and loose appetite.

·         Due to build-up of excess fluid in your ankles, feet or even hands, there is swelling in these areas.

·         You experience shortness of breath for a period of more than one month.

·         You tend to feel tired, weak and fatigued.

·         Frequent urge to pass urine especially during night times

·         You find it difficult to get a sound sleep or experience frequent loss of sleep called as insomnia.

·         You develop skin rashes and itchy skin.

·         Sometimes, you may experience cramps in your muscles.

·         You experience frequent headaches which are on and off.

·         In case of men when you face a medical condition called as erectile dysfunction or impotence.

The bottom line

Kidney problems can cause serious health issues if not diagnosed at the correct time. Hence, it is always good to see your doctor if you experience any of the above mentioned symptoms. A stitch in time saves nine. Hence, help your kidneys, to help you stay healthy!

How are Diabetes Mellitus and Kidney Related?

Diabetes Mellitus (DM), the commonest form of diabetes can affect kidneys in several ways – it can predispose to urinary tract infection, it can cause the reduced blood supply to the kidney by narrowing of the blood vessels supplying the kidneys and it can cause the death of a part of the kidney called papilla. Most importantly it can interfere with the function of filters within the kidneys (called glomeruli) resulting in progressively increasing protein leak in urine (proteinuria) and irreversible loss of kidney function over a period of several years (diabetic nephropathy). All these effects can lead to Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). Rest of the discussion will focus predominantly on diabetic nephropathy as it is the commonest kidney involvement in DM.

How common is kidney failure due to diabetes mellitus?

DM is the commonest cause of CKD all over the world (and in India too). Around one-third of patients on dialysis for CKD have DM; also one third of patients having DM develop CKD.

How long does it take to cause kidney disease?

DM takes a minimum about 5 – 7 years to affect the kidney. The diagnosis of DM may be delayed if it is silent or not associated with the symptoms at the beginning; often we see patients with shorter duration of DM developing CKD related to DM.

What are the symptoms of kidney problem in a diabetic?

The early symptoms of kidney involvement in a diabetic patient are froth in urine and swelling of face, legs and abdomen. With worsening in kidney function, patients may have reduced urine output, increase in blood pressure, and loss of appetite, vomiting, tiredness, breathlessness and frequent episodes of low sugar (hypoglycemia). BUT PLEASE BE AWARE that the kidney involvement in a diabetic patient can be silent and all patients with DM should undergo periodic screening for urine and blood testing for proteinuria and serum creatinine. Diabetic eye disease (Diabetic Retinopathy) is invariably associated with diabetic nephropathy and patients who have diabetic retinopathy should undergo urine and blood tests for kidney disease.

How do you detect kidney damage?

Normally there is no protein leak in urine and the routine urine test will report this finding as nil or trace protein; DM over a period of years can cause closure of capillary loops within the filter units resulting first in progressively increasing proteinuria and subsequently progressive reduction in kidney function (kidney function can be calculated with certain mathematical formulae that require estimation of serum creatinine). It is possible to diagnose kidney involvement in DM at the earliest stage by doing urine test for microalbumin – this test will detect the presence of smallest quantities of albumin (a form of protein) even before routine urine test can detect its presence in urine.

What are the treatment options available once severe kidney failure happens?

Dialysis and Renal Transplantation are the available treatment options for patients with advanced CKD. There are two forms of dialysis: Hemodialysis (HD) and Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis (CAPD).